Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Opportunity
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‘This person…’
Lee Shin narrowed his eyes.
If his memory served him right, this was definitely the same person who had left a donation message on his first video.
Arthur, noticing a moment later, asked with wide eyes.
“Isn’t that the same person from before?”
“It is.”
“Wow… They’re back.”
It was even the same amount and the same message as last time.
Before feeling happy about the large sum, Lee Shin frowned.
Something felt off.
It wasn't that Lee Shin knew the YouTube ecosystem well.
Just a month ago, he had been a viewer, not a creator.
Because of that, he didn't really know how this industry worked, or at what point creators started earning how much.
“Why are they doing this?”
“Huh?”
“It’s a little strange.”
But even Lee Shin could tell that this situation was far from normal.
If donations of that size were common, everyone and their mother would be a YouTuber, and a successful one at that, but reality wasn't so kind.
“That’s true.”
“Hmm…”
With Arthur's agreement, Lee Shin fell into deep thought.
He wondered what the person's intentions were.
But Arthur's next words snapped Lee Shin out of his reverie, and he turned his head.
“Uh, but you don't really have to worry about it, do you?”
“What?”
“The donation amount is pretty big... but it's not like you have to do anything for it. It's literally a 'donation.' You receive it, and that's it.”
“…”
‘That's true.’
He had a point.
No matter how much they donated, they had no right to force Lee Shin to do anything.
If Lee Shin were the type to be swayed by money, it might be a different story, but the chances of that were extremely low.
It wasn't as if Lee Shin was desperate for money.
As Lee Shin conceded the point, Arthur continued.
“Besides, they didn't ask for anything, right? They just said they were cheering you on.”
“They did.”
“Then... isn't it fine to just leave it? I admit it's a bit strange to get two donations like that, but it's not impossible if the person is super rich.”
“They spend their money on this?”
“Surprisingly, a lot of people do. If you had streamed back in the days of Avala Online 1, I would've donated just like that.”
“...Let’s not talk about that.”
In any case, Arthur's clear reasoning cleared Lee Shin's head.
“Then I'll just let it go.”
“Okay.”
“Or should I leave a comment? They did spend a good chunk of money.”
“Fan management? Hmm…”
After a moment's thought, Arthur shook his head. He said it would be better to do nothing at all.
“Why?”
“If you respond once, you'll have to keep doing it, and you're the type who'd do it a few times and then stop.”
“...You're right about that.”
“If that's the case, it's better not to start at all. And when you think about it, it fits the concept well.”
Lee Shin paused.
A word Arthur used had caught him off guard.
“Concept?”
“Yeah, the psychopath concept. The channel name is Psychopath Diary, right? I think it's best to stick with that.”
“Ah, that…”
‘I guess it could be seen as a concept.’
It was a perspective he hadn't considered at all, but now that he heard it, it made sense.
Just because he used the word 'psycho' in his channel name, how many people would actually think he was a real psycho?
It was more likely that people would assume he'd intentionally used a provocative word to attract attention.
After they finished talking about the video, Lee Shin gathered the entire party.
Gillaim asked, his eyes filled with anticipation.
“Are you planning to leave now?”
“Yeah. It's about time to get ready.”
A long time had passed since they had come here to hide.
The execution of Arin and her party would be happening soon, so they needed to prepare to leave.
“What's there to prepare? Can't we just leave?”
“We need to decide where to go.”
“Ah…”
“Anyone have any ideas?”
Before Lee Shin could even finish his sentence, Gillaim shot his hand up.
“I do!”
“…”
He was sure it would be something useless and didn't really want to hear it, but Gillaim's uncomfortably wide eyes forced Lee Shin to reluctantly ask.
“Where?”
“The duchy of Duke Martinez.”
“...?”
Duke Martinez.
The father-in-law of the current king of the Eteun Kingdom.
A figure that no user in the Eteun Kingdom could possibly not know!
Lee Shin asked without thinking.
“Are you insane?”
“Pardon?”
“…No, let me just ask, why would we go there?”
Lee Shin asked, wondering if perhaps there was a reason he hadn't anticipated.
But betraying Lee Shin's hopes, Gillaim answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“He must be killed.”
“…”
“Duke Martinez is one of the core figures of the current corrupt regime! He will one day surely stand in the way of the prince.”
Lee Shin pressed a hand to his forehead.
How could he be so predictable?
Even if he had the noble assassination quest right now, some things were just impossible.
Lee Shin sighed and asked.
“I get that, but how are you going to kill him?”
“Pardon?”
“I'm asking how you're going to kill him.”
“…W-Well, that's something we'll have to figure out. But if we put our heads together, I'm sure we can find a way…”
Gillaim, momentarily speechless, trailed off into a string of excuses.
Lee Shin stared at him with cold eyes before speaking bluntly.
“Let's do it later.”
“But…”
“We can start with an easier target.”
“…Yes.”
[Gillaim becomes dejected.]
[Loyalty has decreased by 1.]
‘…This bastard??’
To think he'd get like this after being shot down for saying something so ridiculous in the first place.
It was absurd, but Lee Shin just let it go.
A single point of loyalty was barely noticeable anyway, and him being dejected was probably more helpful than him spouting nonsense.
“What about you guys? Anything?”
At Lee Shin's question, Cedric glanced around nervously before shaking his head, while Jeong Yu-ra and Arthur answered in turn.
“Not me. Nothing in particular.”
“Me neither.”
“…”
“Well, we were just planning on following you wherever you go…”
That was true.
It had always been like that.
“You don't have anywhere in mind?”
“I haven't really thought about it either.”
“Oh… really?”
He'd been too absorbed in the arena.
“Then should we just look for a quest on the bulletin board? We can decide our next destination based on that.”
Gillaim seemed a little disappointed that his quest had been pushed aside, but for now, Arthur's suggestion was the most reasonable.
Lee Shin nodded.
“Look it up.”
“Okay.”
Arthur immediately went to find the bulletin board.
Lee Shin decided to log into the bulletin board separately and search as well.
Search settings: Eteun Kingdom…
“What's your level?”
“Me? 144 right now.”
Eteun Kingdom, Level 144 and above.
And available for a party of at least 5 (including NPCs).
[Search Complete.]
The search yielded a total of 1,478 results.
Lee Shin sorted them by distance and began reading from the top.
Jeong Yu-ra, who had been watching from behind, peeked over Lee Shin's shoulder and asked.
“Why? What are you doing?”
“Looking for a quest.”
“Can I look with you?”
“I don't mind.”
Lee Shin scrolled down the page, reading from the top.
Finding a decent quest on the bulletin board was usually difficult, so he planned to read through at least the first 100 pages.
“Huh?”
But contrary to his expectations, before he had even scrolled through a single page, a post caught his eye.
Rescue Mission
• Seeking individuals to help rescue 5 users trapped in Count Narik's territory.
• Experienced players preferred. Success reward to be negotiated in person.
“……!!!!”
* * *
The past week.
While Lee Shin, the root of all evil, was gleefully running rampant in the arena, the imprisoned Arin and her party were desperately trying to persuade the lord (Count Narik's son).
As users who had a lot to begin with, they had far too much to lose by simply dying.
And it was too unfair to end things like this.
“It really wasn't us!”
“Please, just listen to us!”
The users begged and pleaded for him to at least hear them out!
Their desperation and profound sense of injustice were palpable.
But.
“Silence!”
It was no use on Count Narik's son, who was already consumed by rage.
He already harbored extreme animosity and distrust toward the very existence of adventurers.
Blinded by fury, he was in no state to listen to what they had to say.
The result…
“The execution will be in one week!”
“What!?!”
“Soldiers, make the preparations!”
“Yes, sir!”
A death sentence, handed down without any chance for them to defend themselves!
For those on the receiving end, it was a crisis of the highest order.
Of course, they had braced for the worst-case scenario the moment they were thrown in jail, but they had never imagined the verdict would be delivered so emptily.
“…”
“…”
“…We're fucked.”
As everyone stared blankly, someone's final mutter spoke for them all.
Then, after a long moment, Arin was the first to come to her senses.
“…Should we… break out?”
* * *
A prison break.
It went without saying, but if it was possible, it was their best option.
The problem was how.
“We can't do it on our own.”
'Can't' in this context had two meanings.
First, they lacked the ability to succeed. Second, even if they could, they shouldn't.
“Why?”
“Because we'd just get caught again right away.”
And then they'd face even harsher punishment.
“Unless you're confident you can evade capture forever, and we're not that good, are we?”
“…That's true.”
Arin nodded.
It was true.
In that case, there was only one way to get out without further consequences.
“We'll need outside help.”
“Right.”
“…”
Arin's expression turned serious.
If they could stage it to look like an outside attack on the prison, leaving some of their own gear behind as they escaped, couldn't they successfully break out?
‘It could work.’
Of course, there were a lot of conditions, but she figured doing something was better than just waiting to die.
And for Arin, finding outside help wouldn't be too difficult.
“I'll try asking the guild for help.”
She held a fairly high rank in her current guild.
She might be able to get their assistance.
“But even if they agree, just our guild members won't be nearly enough, will they?”
“We can use money to hire more people. If we say we'll cover the costs and tell them to spend freely, we should be able to find someone, right?”
“Oh?”
“That's a good idea…”
Having gotten her party's agreement, Arin quickly moved on to the next step.
“Hello, Guild Master. It's Arin. The reason I'm calling is…”
“What?! It's complicated to explain, so I'll tell you the details later.”
“We'll be paying for it…”
“Yes, yes. Okay.”
“…Thank you so much!”
“What? What did he say?”
“He said he'll help.”
“……!”
And just like that, she had secured the guild's promise of support.
Arin let out a sigh of relief, patting her chest.
“Phew…”
However, at that moment, she had no idea.
That the misfortune that had befallen her was far from over.
The user named Lee Shin was far more relentless than she could ever imagine.
* * *
“Hmm…”
Rescue Mission
• Seeking individuals to help rescue 5 users trapped in Count Narik's territory.
• Experienced players preferred. Success reward to be negotiated in person.
After staring at the quest description for a long time, Lee Shin turned his head.
And said bluntly.
“We're doing this one.”